1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to a noise detection system, and more particularly to a vehicle noise detection system for detecting and collecting information relating to excessive vehicle noise.
2. Description of the Related Art
Elevated sound levels can cause health issues, including hearing impairment, hypertension and sleep disturbance. Some birth defects have also been linked to excessive exposure to noise. As the world population continues to grow, so have the number of vehicles that are being used on the world's highways and metropolitan cities. With respect to vehicle monitoring systems, local authorities and law enforcement have employed devices such as radar detectors to detect speeding vehicles and red-light cameras to detect vehicles that fail to stop at red lights or signs. These measures have been employed to enforce the laws, as well as to deter unsafe driving. In addition to vehicle operation monitoring, many countries have imposed environmental restrictions to control carbon dioxide vehicle emissions. While governments have developed laws and regulations to address the speed at which people drive, vehicle fuel efficiency as well as the emissions produced by vehicles, in order to protect the public, very little attention has been given address to noise pollution produced by vehicles on the roads today.
Occasionally, vehicle drivers use their car horns unnecessarily and/or excessively to signal displeasure or frustration with the flow of traffic or the driving of other drivers. The excessive horn usage is not only annoying, but can be potentially dangerous, considering the aforementioned health related issues caused by excessive noise. Excessive car horn usage can be observed virtually everywhere, including big cities such as Cairo, Riyadh, Rome, Delhi, Dubai, Beijing, Shanghai, London, and New York City, among many others. Further, it is commonly known that excessive car music sound can be equally as annoying as excessive car horn usage. To maintain orderly and responsible vehicle operation, there exists a need to deter drivers from excessive noise emission and to enforce noise pollution laws. Accordingly there exists a need for a system to detect excessive noise by a vehicle, and record information related to the offending vehicle.
Thus, a system for detecting excessive noise solving the aforementioned problems is desired.